This workshop will expand the participants' knowledge of movable books through an examination of their history, creators, and publishers. Participants will appreciate the variety of formats, purposes, and styles that characterize these books by examining a range of historical and contemporary examples from Dr. Thornton’s personal collection. This perspective will reflect on how these materials have been viewed culturally from their flowering in the Victorian period to the current, second golden age of pop-up books. Participants will leave the workshop with hands-on experience in constructing basic movable structures and ideas on how to use movable books in library programs for patrons of all ages. Teachers know that kids like to touch and manipulate things—using movable books and creating these structures will provide another tactile learning technique that teachers and librarians can add to their toolkits.

Learning objectives:

Participants will learn about the remarkable history and development of these fabulous materials

Participants will explore possibilities for incorporating movable books into library programs for patrons of all ages, from children to adults

Participants will learn basic structures for creating movable elements in paper that can be incorporated into tactile learning activities

Participants who desire to learn more about these unique materials will leave with resources to continue their exploration.

Presenters:

Glenda Thornton is the Director of the Michael Schwartz Library at Cleveland State University and has over 40 years of professional library service primarily in academic libraries, but also in public and school libraries. She has had a long-term interest in cultural history and children’s books, has taught Children’s Literature, and has helped develop children’s book collections in several academic libraries. She is a member of the Movable Book Society, the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory, and Northeast Ohio Bibliophilic Society. She has been an active Octavofest member and organizer.

She received her doctorate from the University of North Texas and her BA (History) and MLS from the University of Oklahoma. She is on the editorial board of Technical Service Quarterly and has authored and co-authored a number of articles on improving library facilities and operations, technical services, and collection management topics.

Laura Martin,PhD(Linguistics) is a specialist in Mayan languages and culture, with broad interests in creativity, cultural contact, and expressive form. Retired from Cleveland State University where she held joint appointments in modern languages, anthropology, and health sciences, Dr. Martin was especially known for international and interdisciplinary research and program development with colleagues in disciplines ranging from biology to history. She also served as Chair of Anthropology and Associate Dean of Art and Sciences and held many grants, both for research and for public programs. She has written many articles, including in foreign language pedagogy, linguistic analysis, cross-cultural health, and Mayan expressive culture, and is most recently co-author of Culture in Clinical Care: Strategies for Competence (2nd ed., Slack, 2013). She has volunteered as a docent at the Cleveland Museum of Art since 2007, and served as CMA Healthcare Education Consultant from 2013 to 2015. She maintains an active studio practice as a book and paper artist, chairs the Octavofest Steering Committee, and sits on the Board of the Morgan Conservatory.